Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton underwent surgery Monday to repair his torn Achilles, which he ruptured early in Game 7 of Sunday's NBA Finals. And on Tuesday, coach Rick Carlisle revealed a bit about his first phone conversation with Hali after the operation had finished.
Speaking on Indy-area radio station 107.5 The Fan, Carlisle described the pair's post-op talk as "uplifting," and said the guard sounded positive, despite the circumstances.
"He answered the phone on the first half ring" Carlisle explained. "And he said, 'Hey coach, how you doing?' He sounded totally upbeat. And I said, 'I'm doing great, how are you doing?' And he goes, 'I'm gonna be good. I'm gonna be good.'"
Carlisle then went on to describe the text Haliburton sent to their team group chat at some point that same night.
"He had sent out a message on our group chat of him in the hospital bed, [smiling]. He may have had a thumbs-up sign. And that was to all the guys on our roster, which included our bench coaches. And so that was a very uplifting moment for me."
He continued: "I can tell you that I feel very uplifted by the exchange with Tyrese on the phone, the message that he sent out, etc. It's a daunting thing to go through something like that if you're the player, it's a daunting thing if you're a loyal fan base, if you're a great fan of the game. All those kinds of things. ... Very disappointed for the team that we weren't able to proceed beyond that moment in Game 7 without our full complement of guys. But certainly so, so proud of the effort."
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In addition to the text to his team and conversation with Carlisle, Haliburton also shared a vulnerable message on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, in which he lamented the gut-wrenching injury but made clear he has no regrets about how it all went down.
"I'd do it again, and again after that," he said, "to fight for this city and my brothers. For the chance to do something special."
He added: "I’m grateful for the road that lies ahead. Watch how I come back from this. So, give me some time, I’ll dust myself off and get right back to being the best version of Tyrese Haliburton."
While an exact return timetable is unknown at this point, it is possible Hali misses a good chunk of, if not the entirety, of the 2025–26 season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pacers' Rick Carlisle Details 'Uplifting' Post-Surgery Conversation with Tyrese Haliburton.
